Constant Princess

Best-selling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. But tragically, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his young bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother Henry, become Queen, and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.

This book is chronologically the first, but was written fourth. Since I'm reading these in chronological order, it was my first in the Tudor Series. But, the books can be read in any order.

I always thought of Katherine of Aragon as a dour old woman as depicted in some dusty book I read long ago, but Gregory gives her a rich, full life of honor and service, including her childhood as the daughter of some of the greatest monarchs of the time, Ferdinand & Isabella. Descriptions of Aragon and the Moorish influence on court were enchanting, as were the differences between that European court and the Brits.

Gregory has a magical way of bringing long-ago history to life -- whether historically accurate or not -- it's a great read.

The Virgin's Lover

In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, knows that the bells she hears will summon her husband once more to power, intrigue, and a passionate love affair. Philippa Gregory paints a picture of a country on the brink of greatness, a young woman grasping at her power, a young man whose ambition is greater than his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them.

This one was written 3rd, but is actually 6th in chronological order. I'm reading them in chronological order, but the series can be enjoyed in any order. So far, this one is my least favorite of her two series (The Cousins War and the Tudor Series), but that's because the others set such a high bar. I don't enjoy spending time with the Robert Dudley as she portrays him, so it was a little slower for me to get engrossed in than her other books.

That said, if you're going through the series, this is a must-read because it's about Elizabeth I. I prefer to think of her as Cate Blanchett's portrayal rather than the wish-washy girl as portrayed here, by the description of court life -- and life in -- general during the Tudor era is entertaining.

Boleyn Inheritance

Anne of Cleves must literally save her neck in a court ruled by a deadly game of politics and the terror of an unpredictable and vengeful king. Her Boleyn Inheritance: accusations and false witnesses. Katherine Howard catches the king's eye within moments of arriving at court, setting in motion a dreadful machine of politics, intrigue, and treason that she does not understand. Her Boleyn Inheritance: the threat of the axe. Jane Rochford's name is a byword for malice, jealousy and twisted lust throughout Europe. Her Boleyn Inheritance: a fortune and a title in exchange for her soul.

I've been listening to these in chronological order (rather than in the order they were written). Even though this one was written 5th, it's actually 4th chronologically. The way Gregory puts personalities on these historic events and people is so entertaining. Some Tudor history experts say she's not historically accurate in some of her plot points, but it's all a fun, fast listen just the same.

Light in August

An Oprah's Book Club Selection regarded as one of Faulkner's greatest and most accessible novels, Light in August is a timeless and riveting story of determination, tragedy, and hope. In Faulkner's iconic Yoknapatawpha County, race, sex, and religion collide around three memorable characters searching desperately for human connection and their own identities.

Somehow I got through high school and college without reading any Faulkner (how did that happen?!) and must sheepishly admit I grabbed this one during an Audible classics sale, otherwise I would have passed it by. Thank you Audible for the sale. Faulkner is a master, and now I know why.

This story was written in the early 1930s and gives us a look into life of small southern communities of the era. If you have delicate sensibilities about the use of certain racial slurs or racist thinking in general, then this book is not for you.

Life was slower. Society was rigid. Opportunities for non-whites, the poor and women were limited. LIGHT IN AUGUST handles these big themes. Good and evil. Light and dark. Religion. Sex. Race. Death. But it's also just a dang good story.

If Faulkner had told the story in a linear fashion, starting at Point A and leading us to The End, it would be interesting. Instead, he entrances us by slowly unfurling the characters, their backgrounds, their reasons for action (or non-action) and their interconnectedness.

As a narrator, Will Patton is amazing. He brings forth the southern accents and characters like the true professional he is. Some of the characters made me laugh out loud with their southern grammar and slang -- I'm certain it would have not been nearly as fun trying to read through it myself and figuring out what the heck was being said. Patton brought even more color and life to the story.

Author C.E. Morgan has called Faulkner, "A writer of prodigious powers." She was right.

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

From the streets of Iraq to the mountaintops of Afghanistan and to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden's compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group - commonly known as SEAL Team Six - has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines. No Easy Day puts listeners alongside Owen and the other handpicked members of the 24-man team as they train for the biggest mission of their lives.

Fast read/listen about what it takes to become a Navy Seal and how one ends up in a compound in Pakistan looking for Osama bin Laden. This story was exactly what I'd hoped it would be ... background on what goes into a mission like the one we all heard about, plus a little peek into the ones we never knew about and never will.

This is an honest f*ck-up the bad guys kind of story written by a real warrior. It's not an easy life these guys choose, but we need them and I'm thankful they're out there doing the dirty work.

Having listened to this book made me a very annoying person to watch ZERO DARK THIRTY with. When it got to the Navy Seals and the invade-the-compound part, I kept telling my movie "dates" things like, "They actually trained on this for months ahead of time." and "The Seals always sweep buildings after they secure them, looking for intel." I'm sure everyone was very appreciative of my knowledge.

If you're interested in our modern military, CIA, FBI, intelligence gathering, war on terror, blowing up bad guys, Afghanistan or Iraq, then this is for you. If you'd like some more back story on the guys who did the shoot and gather mission in ZERO DARK THIRTY, then don't pass it up.

The Chaperone

>The Chaperone is a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both. Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a 15-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip.

This is an enchanting story about a fictional peripheral character in the life of 1920s bombshell Louise Brooks. The flapper starlet is a big part of the story, but the lead protaganist, Cora, is so charming, I was relieved to discover that the story is really not about Louise. It's about how Louise affected the life of a woman during a time of big societal and cultural change. (Historical note: Louise Brooks was accompanied by a chaperone from Wichita that summer she spent in New York City.)

Elizabeth McGovern, the wonderful actress who plays Cora Grantham on PBS's Downton Abbey, does a lovely job as Cora Carlisle, a respectible wife and mother living a comfortable wealthy life in Wichita, Kan. McGovern has such a quiet style -- she made an enchanting narrator. My only critique is a tiny one -- she used a more upper Midwestern accent (think Minnesota) for the Kansans rather than a central/southern Kansas twang. But that's so small given the enormous charm McGovern adds to the story. She is a skilled pro and in her hands (er, voice?) this story is well cared for.

With today's fast-paced culture and seemingly daily technology changes, it was fun to sink back into a time where the generational gap consisted of shock over young women showing their ankles and not wearing corsets. Society always leaps ahead. And older generations are always shocked. We're no different today.

This is a story that has stayed with me long after the last line was read. It's one that has lingered around afterwards. I loved this story so much, I'm planning to read other novels by Laura Moriarty.

White Queen

They ruled England before the Tudors, and now internationally best-selling author Philippa Gregory brings the Plantagenets to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women.

Loved the narrator. Enjoyed the story -- one I was not familiar with. Of course, much is fictionalized or conjecture based on letters, documents, legend, but Philippa Gregory did her research, and the story was entertaining, bringing the 15th Century to life.

Ms. Gregory seems to have a writing style that occasionally repeats certain phrases. Not sure if this works better in print by using visual separation (maybe chapter or paragraph breaks) then tying back with the repeated phrase -- but it's a little clunky in an audio book. In fact once or twice I thought I'd accidentally hit pause and repeat. This became a minor issue, but I did wonder if she thought maybe we weren't paying attention thus her need to remind us of certain things.

Repetition aside, I loved the story so much, I'm downloading the next in the Cousins War series ("The Red Queen") as I type this review.

This series was not written in chronological order. If you don't like jumping around your timeline of monarchs in medieval England and want to read them chronologically, then it's suggested to start with "Lady of the Rivers" (Book 3), then "The White Queen" (Book 1), and "The Red Queen" (Book 2). Then, follow the order they were written with Book 4 ("The Kingmaker's Daughter") and Book 5 ("The White Princess"). I didn't do that, and I've survived just fine.

State of Wonder: A Novel

Research scientist Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on an extremely valuable new drug. The last person who was sent to find her died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding answers to the questions about her friend's death, her company's future, and her own past.

Would have overlooked this book if not for a strong recommendation from my local independent book store. Lovely writing. So glad I gave it a listen. It was my road trip partner for a journey by myself to/from Austin, Texas.

Loved hearing a professional actor (Hope Davis) narrate this -- it was my first experience listening to an audiobook narrated by an actor I'm familiar with and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The vocal subtlety needed for the emotional scenes was well-placed in Ms. Davis' hands (er, mouth?). Later in the book, her Austrialian accents sometimes fell off, but otherwise it was a wonderful job.

Patchett creates such a sense of place that I feel like I actually visited Manaus, Brazil, and the jungle. The descriptions of loss were wrenching, especially the scene when Marina and Mr. Fox notified their co-worker's wife of her husband's death in the jungle.

Good story. Good performance. Well written. Good use of time. You can now count me as an Ann Patchett fan.

Cloud Atlas

A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan's California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified "dinery server" on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation: the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other's echoes down the corridor of history.

Thanks to the earlier reviewers who warned about the mid-chapter cut-offs as each of the six stories transition from one to the other -- especially the first one. I would have spent a hour trying to figure out how I screwed up the download or accidentally hit something on my MP3 when the first character stops speaking mid-sentence. And, it's true that the first character takes some patience, but stick with him.

One reviewer said the story goes like this 6 5 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 5 6, and that was so helpful for me. (Sorry, I can't remember who you are to give you attribution.) It was so helpful that I'm repeating it for potential readers.

Have faith, dear reader, it all comes together as each story progresses.

This is one that's stuck with me long after I finished it, and in fact, I'm considering grabbing the book (the one with paper pages) to see what it's like with words on the page.

I have no idea how on earth they've made this into a movie because the book is remarkable.

An Echo in the Bone: A Novel

Jamie Fraser knows from his time-traveling wife Claire that, no matter how unlikely it seems, America will win the Revolutionary War. But that truth offers little solace, since Jamie realizes he might find himself pointing a weapon directly at his own son - a young officer in the British army. And Jamie isn't the only one with a tormented soul - for Claire may know who wins the conflict, but she certainly doesn't know whether or not her beloved Jamie survives.

So, if you're a Jamie & Claire fan and have made it all the way to this book (#7 in the series), you don't need to be told about the plot, the story, the writing ... you're hooked and you know it.

Davina Porter has narrated all the Outlander books, and does an amazing job. In fact, because of Davina, I've become a huge fan of the Outlander series. She made it accessible for me in a way the written pages just weren't. Jamie's Scottish burr, the Gaelic, the French, the Cockney ... all the accents that in true Gabaldon style are written as spoken are tedious for me on the page, but through Audible, these characters have truly come alive.

And, is it just me or is Gabaldon becoming better and better with each book? Her ability to write as each character -- to get inside their heads, the words they would use, their sentence structure -- really amazing. Now she just needs to finish the 8th book!

Your report has been received. It will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.

Can't wait to hear more from this listener?

You can now follow your favorite reviewers on Audible.

When you follow another listener, we'll highlight the books they review, and even email* you a copy of any new reviews they write. You can un-follow a listener at any time to stop receiving their updates.

* If you already opted out of emails from Audible you will still get review emails by the listeners you follow.